Comments on: In Defense of Wasps

By: Amy Ochsner

Amy Ochsner — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 21:04:33 +0000

What a great article! I was drawn to this story because I have always felt this weird need to defend the wasps that live around my house & office. People always have a knee jerk reaction to seeing them, but I’ve been around them my whole life and have never had a bad experience. I even convinced my wife that we can gently show them the way out of the house when they come in. No need to panic! That being said, I often see them flying in and out of my basil plants and was curious what they were doing in there. I had no idea that they were the predators of other insects until I read your article. Thank so much for your insight & keep up the good fight!

By: Anna Lovat

Anna Lovat — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 21:44:06 +0000

In reply to sylvia_brophy.

Hi Sylvia –
Thank you for sharing your story! I love that you & the wasps are peacefully cohabitating. 🙂
As for your mystery –
To explain the lifecycle of social wasps, I often compare it to honeybees. Like honeybees, new social wasp queens will overwinter. Unlike honeybees, the wasps do not group together to do this. Queen wasps will do this by leaving the nest, and hunkering down in a dry spot til spring rolls around. The non-queen adult wasps will die off as the cool weather hits.
It’s likely that the nest fell due to natural causes. Perhaps the construction wasn’t spot on, or the wind hit it in such a way as to speed along the fall. I’m not sure where you’re located, but if it’s getting cooler, the wasps will not rebuild, as the queens should be starting to head out. I’d leave the nest alone on the ground for a couple weeks, (or move it out of the way at night if you need to) just to make sure that everybody has moved on.

By: Anna Lovat

Anna Lovat — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 21:20:31 +0000

In reply to Lacey. Hi Lacey! This is Anna. Thank you for your lovely comment- it means the world to me. Best of luck to you in all you do- and especially in spreading the wasp love! :)

By: sylvia_brophy

sylvia_brophy — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 16:45:46 +0000

Love this post. I tore down a 100 year old barn a couple of years ago that was completely infested with wasps and terrified me.
As they sought new home locations along the sides of my house, I became aware that they really didn’t want anything to do with me. I also found them more and more in my garden, doing the work that the disappearing bees had been expected to do.
While I don’t physically interact with them, we give each other space and I agree never to confront them if they will allow me to go about my business.
But maybe you can help me solve a mystery. A very large and active nest hung in my 2nd story bathroom window all summer. We greeted each other every morning and evening and rookies would sometimes flutter if I peered too closely. Two nights ago, the nest fell to the ground. I don’t know how. Now all the wasps congregate in the previous sill location morning and night looking sad and lonely. The nest is intact below them on the ground but they don’t seem interested in it. Any ideas what could’ve happened?

By: Amy

Amy — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 16:38:20 +0000

As someone who has long dealt with wasps of all kinds in my work building and was told the yellow jackets are mean but the solitary wasps are fine I was intrigued by this article! Thank you Anna and Modern Farmer for sharing this information, I learned so much.

By: Azhar

Azhar — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 01:08:23 +0000

Awesome story from a beautiful girl about wonderful wasps! Thank you so much. Love the wasps!

By: Lacey

Lacey — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 16:16:57 +0000

I was drawn to this article because I’m dealing with a population explosion of yellow jackets, but learned so much more than I thought I would. Thank you, Anna, for opening up your world to us and helping (at least me) to understand that they aren’t the enemy at all. I’ll be much more gentle in my thoughts and actions towards them, inviting anyone with wasp knowledge to share their love for these remarkable creatures. Thank you Anna and Modern Farmer.